Combined package and toy



May 25 1926.

L R CARLEY ET AL COMBINED PACKAGE AND TOY Filed April 27, 1922 INVENTORS, Ieorw/r'd J2- Ccvr-Zeg 7 George J-C. Jfo

' BY We ATTORNEK? Patented May 25, 1926.

Hall-Tit!) STATES- PAT'EN-T OFFICE.

LEONARD B. OAKLEY, F WATERTOWN, .AN'D-GEORGEH. KAY, OE PROSPECT,

CONNECTICUT.

COMBINED PACKAGE AND TOY.

Application filcdApril 27, 1922'. SerialNo. 556,958.'.

Our invention relates to a combined package and toy and has for its object. to provide an article in the form of a container which may be readily and easily converted into a 6 toy and thus convert to a useful purpose various types of packages or containers which afterhaving completed their service as such are ordinarily thrown away.

The object of the present invention is toprovide a combined package and toy wherein the containerbefore 1ts conversion 1nto a toy vehicle will approximatein shape andsupporting members, but which supporting members originally lie-1n the plane of the strip, the strip being either connected toor 80 formed as a part of oneof the walls of the packed one upon the other or nested together, in a manner exactly similar tot-he way in which the ordinary containers are now packed'or nested- A further object is to provide a container which in: addition to being able'to serve the usual functions assuch may with very. slight additional costbe adapted: to beconverted into atoy vehicle, and tothis-endwe preferably decorate or lithorgraph the container so as to enhance the attractiveness of the toy vehicle and increase its simulation of the vehicles of commerce.

it-h the foregoing and other objects in view, our invention consists in-the" improved combined package and toy illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described and claimed, and in: such variations and modifications thereof: as'w'ill be obvious to those; skilled in the art to which our'invention relates, it being understood that changes may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit thereof.

The preferred embodiment ofi our invenicontainer, so that the containers may be.

tion is-disclosed in the accompanying'drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side'elevation of a container such as ordinarily used for the housing of cereals and having formed. as a part thereof or attached thereto suitable means whereby the container may be con verted into a toy vehicle;

Figure 2 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure'iiis a bottom plan view of a some what different formof container, the'metal strip for carrying andsupportingthe wheels extending around and being clinched to the seam of the body of the container;

Figure 4- is a vertical section taken on the line l lof Figure 3;

Figure-5 is a bottom, plan view of a container particularly adapted for the storage and transportation of liquids andarranged for conversion into a toy vehicle;

Figure 6'is a iragmental view invertical sectionta ken ont'he line6-6 of'Figure 5;

F 'igure? is a view in vertical section of a container having the axle-supporting strip soldered to the bottom wall of thecontainer;

Figure 8 is a similar view of a container wherein the metal strip from which the wheel and axle supportsare made is secured to the bottonrwall ofthe-container by providing the latter with slots 'ato which extend suitable tongues Refer-ring specifically t'o-the several views, wherein similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout, the container 15 is of the type such as cereals are usually shippedin' and has been lithographe'dso asto simulate the appearence of an oil or tankcar, and extending around the body of the container are'the-resilient strips 16, preferably formed of metal, such as tin, and having their ends secured. together as at 16'. The'metal strips 16' which are located' at both end'sof'the container are pro vided with the U shape slots 17 which form spaced tonguesw-hichnormally lie in the plane of the strips when the container is functioning as such, and which tongues may be readily bent'out of theplane of the-strip and project'below the container so as'to act as axl e supportin'g members 18, these axlesupp'orting members being provided with openings or recesses-=19 adapted to rotatab'ly receive the ends of the wheel-supporting axles 20= therein;

The strips 16 may be either housed within the container during the merchandising of the foodstuffs or other material and then placed around the empty container, or the container may be originally formed with the strips extending therearound and with the axlesupporting members 18 lying in the same plane as the strips, and in which instance only the axles and wheels Qluvill be housed or packed within the container. Preferably the strips will be housed within the container and after the foodstuff or other material has been emptied or removed therefrom, the strips will be attached inplace and their ends interlocked as at it. The wheels 21 and wheel-bearing axles 20 will then be placed between the downwardly bent axle-supporting members 18 and the container or package will then form a pleasing and eiiicient toy vehicle.

The somewhat modified form of our invention disclosed in Figure 3 comprises the container 22, to which are permanently attached the metal strips .43 by bending the ends 2 around the side edges of the con tainer and clinching the same thereagainst. The metal strips are provided with the confronting U-shape slots 25, which define or form the tongues 26 which normally lie in the plane of'the metal strips and therefore do not in any way interfere with the handling or packing of the container. These tongues 26 are provided with suitable openings or recesses 27, in order that the container may be readily converted into a toy vehicle by bending the tongues downwardly as illustrated in Figure l, so as to form axlesupporting members, and between which are adapted to extend suitable wheels and axles,

similar to those shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. The wheels and axles are initially housed within the container and are of such character and so packed as not to interfere nor contaminate the foodstuffs or other material which the package con tains. 1

The strips 23 are further provided with the slots 28 located approximately midway between the sides of the container so as to form suitable tongues 29 which are adapted to be bent and extend outwardly so as to form coupling members, each coupling member being provided with an opening 30 I thebottom wall of the container 31 is provided with an upwardly extending sea-m 31 and into which extends the ends of the metal strips 23. The metal strips 23 are provided with the usual form of U-shape slots 25 and the resulting tongues 26 have pen manently attached thereto the wheels A; the tongues 26 normally lying in the plane of the strips 23 and against the bottom wall 31 of the container. The container is provided with a downwardly extending flanged edge similar to the type of container known as a sanitary container, so that with the tongues 26 lying against the bottom wall All of the container the wheels A will be housed and protected by the downwardly extending flanged edge the container and thus not, in any way interefere with the handling, packing orshipping of the container when acting as such. The metal strips 23 are held in position by being clinched within the same as at 31 and thus do not in any way interfere with the use of the container as a package for the shipment of liquids.

' The form of container illustrated in Fig ure 7 is provided with the metal strip 23 which is soldered directly to the bottom wall 31 of: the container, thus making unnecessary the foi'miz-ig of a seam 31 in the bottom wall of the container described in connection with the container illustrated in Figures 3 andfi.

In Figure 8 we have illustrated a container having a bottom wall B in which are provided slots or openings C and which are adapted to receive thetongues D of the metal stripfE. The metal strip E is provided with the usual" form of axle supports F, in which are provided the aXle-receiving openings or recesses G. In this particular type of construction it will be apparent that the metal strip E together withthe wheels and the axles may be housed within the container during its shipment and then attached to the container body after it has completed its service as such; or the container body may have the metal strip E originally attached thereto, depending upon the goods being shipped within the container and the particular shape and type of the container itself; and in this connection it is to be noted that we do not limit ourselves to a container having a flat bottom wall, as it will be readily apparent that these various types of construction may be used on containers which are of cylindrical form such as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, or of other various shapes such as used for various types of containers.

Having thus described and explained our cuts in the strips, the tongues being normally disposed in the plane of the strips and adapted to be bent outwardly to form axle supporting members, wheel and axle elements, and openings near the outer ends of the tongues to support the said wheel and axle elements.

2. An article of the character described comprising a container, separate metallic strips carried thereby which are shaped to closely conform to the contour of the outer wall of the container, out portions in the strips forming tongues which normally lie in the plane of the strips, openings adjacent the ends of the tongues, and wheels and axles adapted to be supported and maintained in assembled relation by said tongues, when the latter are bent outwardly from said strips to thereby convert the container into a toy vehicle.

An article of the character described comprising a container, separate metallic strips carried thereby which are shaped to closely conform to the outer wall of the container, cut portions in the strips forming sets of tongues which normally lie in.

the plane of the strip and which are arranged to be bent out or' this plane so that one set will form axle supporting projections, while the other set will form coupling elements, openings near the outer end of each tongue, and wheels and axles adapted to be supported and retained in one set of the tongue elements when the latter are bent outwardly to thereby convert the container into a toy vehicle.

4. An article for converting a container into a toy vehicle comprising flexible metallic strips to form trucks which may be secured to and in close conformity with theouter wall of the container, cut por tions in the strips defining tongue-like areas with openings near their outer ends which tongues lie normally within the plane of the strips, and wheels and axles adapted to be supported in the openings in said tongues when the latter are bent outwardly from said strips.

5. An article for converting a container into a toy vehicle comprising flexible metallic strips to form trucks which may be secured to and in close conformity with the contour of the outer wall of the container, cut portions in the strips defining sets of tongue-like areas which when bent out of the plane of the strip are so arranged to form respectively vehicle axle supporting projections and coupler elements, openings near the outer ends of the tongues, and wheels and axles adapted to be supported and retained in the openings in one set of the tongues when the latter are bent out of the plane of the strip.

Signed at \Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, this 21st day of April, A. D. 1922.

LEONARD R. GABLEY.

Signed at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, this 21st day of April, A. D. 1922.

GEORGE H. KAY. 

